Novak Djokovic lands in Melbourne to compete in 2023 Australian Open

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has landed in Australia to prepare for the 2023 Australian Open, almost a year after he was deported over his Covid-19 vaccination status.

The 35-year-old, who has won the Australian Open nine times, had his automatic three year visa ban overturned in November, which allows him to participate again in this Grand Slam.

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Last January, when Djokovic arrived in Australia for the 2022 tournament, Covid cases were at an all-time high and government rules required anyone entering the country to be vaccinated, unless they had a valid medication exemption.

Djokovic was detained by the Australian Border Force when entering the country and forced to stay at an immigration hotel, but claimed he had a medical exemption to defend his title without being vaccinated because he had recently recovered from Covid-19.

However, after 10 days, the Australian government ruled he did not meet the requirements for entry, so his visa was cancelled and he was automatically not allowed to return to Australia until 2025.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion said he was very happy when hearing the news but said the events will stay with him for the rest of his life.

Speaking to BBC Djokovic said: "You can't forget those events, it's one of these things that sticks with you, it stays with you for I guess the rest of your life.

"It was something that I've never experienced before, and hopefully never again."

The Serb will firstly compete in the Adelaide International, as he steps up his preparation for the major tournament on the 16th of January, and says he's excited to continue the success he has had in Australia in the past.

Djokovic added: "I have to move on, coming back to Australia speaks how I feel about this country, how I feel about playing here, I was really hoping that I'm going to have my permission back to get back into Australia and play here because it's a country where I've had tremendous success in my career."